One of the major disadvantages of the electric vehicle relates to its availability. In fact, when its battery is discharged, the electric vehicle remains unavailable for the entire recharging period, which may last several hours.
In order to reduce the battery recharging period, it is known for the charging power to be increased by increasing the current drawn from the mains system. It has thus been proposed to draw this current from a three-phase mains system rather than a single-phase mains system, the charging power being greater when the current is drawn from a three-phase mains supply system. Conversely, for recharging at the user's home, a device enabling recharging from a single-phase mains system (for example from a 32 A domestic socket) offers a practical alternative. A device allowing the user to recharge the battery of his vehicle either from a single-phase mains system or from a three-phased mains system would therefore allow the availability of the vehicle to be improved.
The constraints of electromagnetic compatibility of the recharging system with the electrical mains supply used, and also the constraints inherent in the battery recharging conditions require the intermediate connection of filtering systems between the mains supply and the battery. These filtering systems, which depend on the type of mains supply used, notably comprise induction coils whose volume, with an equal inductance value, is proportional to the square of the current to be filtered.
The patent application FR 2 738 411 proposes an onboard battery recharging system, allowing the battery to be recharged from a single-phase current, and using the coils of the electric motor to contribute to the filtering function. The proposed system requires the neutral point of the motor to be brought out and to be made accessible, for example, by means of connectors. It cannot therefore be adapted to a motor in which the accessibility of the neutral point has not been designed for this purpose. Moreover, this system does not allow recharging using three-phase current.
Patent application EP 0 553 824 proposes an onboard system allowing the battery of the vehicle to be recharged either from a single-phase system or from a three-phase system. In order to limit the volume of the system, the coils of the motor are used to contribute to the filtering of the three-phase current. The currents flowing through the coils during charging are liable to cause the motor to revolve. Even if the motor is held by a specific brake, it remains a source of significant vibrations and noise.